Sports or other entertainment events that rely on waves or surf are traditionally limited to times or locations that have amenable conditions. In some locations, the surf is routine and predictable, while in others the quality of the surf may vary significantly. Further, there are many areas amendable to surf or wave sports where there may be little or no wave or surf action, as with certain east coast US or lakeside beaches.
The state of California hosts some of the more predictable surfing beaches in the continental United States. The beaches of Florida are somewhat unpredictable, and the surf there tends to be more active and stronger than those higher on the east coast. The beaches higher on the east cost may be relatively calm or moderate, with only occasional periods of challenging surf. Nevertheless, beaches such as those on the east coast of the United States might otherwise be suitable for surfing sports if the surf were to be both reliable and substantial.
Some surfers approach this problem with attempts to use waves generated by the wake of a large vessel or a separate tow at speed. This approach requires a vessel or a tow to be of substantial displacement in order to generate a suitable wave for surfing; in addition, it may involve considerable energy consumption and a degree of unpredictability in wake generation. In one example, surfers near Galveston, Tex. take advantage of shipping traffic and surf the wakes of underway supertankers; of course, this is impractical for the purposes described herein.
A conventional approach involves a plow device designed to be drawn along permanent tracks located within a body of water. While potentially suitable for pools or otherwise placid lakes, this somewhat complicated arrangement is impractical for many natural environments, particularly natural ocean beaches where marine items might obstruct the track. A similar approach is a wave generating device or plow mounted onto the hull of a small boat or towed behind. The device includes a curved flow forming portion capable of displacing water and creating waves somewhat perpendicular to the direction of the boat. Of course, such a boat would require significant maneuvering space for clear navigation and hazard avoidance, and would be difficult to use to generate waves on a beach. Importantly, the larger the device the more difficult it becomes to move and control.
Another conventional approach involves an unmoored vessel that generates waves by dumping water onto a submerged platform attached to the side hull of the vessel. The platform is shaped so as to create a wave form in the deflected water. Internally, the vessel includes an open top water tank with a pumping system to fill the tank from the surrounding water. Hydraulic actuators and a supporting hydraulic system are required to elevate a waterproof (sealed) floor or platform of the tank. As the platform is elevated, the water is spilled out of the top of the tank and onto the submerged platform, deflecting water into a wave form. A thruster is required to hold the vessel in place during water dumping or the vessel will move and the kinetic energy of the wave will be reduced.
Although this approach may be used in a natural environment, its extensive mechanical systems would be prohibitively expensive and vulnerable to corrosion. For example, an embodiment capable of dumping sea water should include a sea chest intake, pipes, pumps, valves, and a tank system, all fabricated from a corrosion resistant material such as monel, copper-nickel alloys, or bronze. The hydraulic system and actuators must include substantial components (e.g., hydraulic pump, tubing, actuator, etc.) to lift the weight of such a large volume of water. Further, elevating liquids in an open tank on a vessel will raise the center of gravity, and increase the moment with the center of buoyancy, affecting the stability characteristics of the vessel. The partially filled tank, with its free surface and open top can be further destabilizing. Accordingly, the vessel must be quite large to support the unusual instability characteristics. The only means for adjusting the size of waves is by quantity of water elevated, which is inefficient. Further, the vessel itself must be quite large for such a limited use, and is thus cost prohibitive.
Another approach is a mobile “wave effect” device, which is capable of being moved about on land and assembled where desired. This device does not involve real waves, but wave forms that simulate the effect of a wave. It relies on a mold or wave-shaped shell, typically fabricated of fiberglass, and pumps that force water over the wave mold to create sufficient laminar flow for in-place surfing. Of course, this approach is somewhat limited and does not incorporate the natural environment into the artificial waves.
Thus, a simple device for creating reliable and substantial surf in a natural beach environment would increase the attractiveness and commercial potential for many beaches. At the same time, such a device should be stable, inexpensive, and mobile. Preferably, such a device would also be capable of being adapted for transportation on land and scalable to respond to environments requiring surf of different sizes and difficulty.